The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers star is favourite fantasy film character
London--May 14, 2003: He may be a withered four-foot tall hunchback with mouldy skin and large feet, and his terrible lisp means his acceptance speech wouldn't be much to listen to, but Gollum, star of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, has been voted Best Fantasy Character of All Time in a poll by leading online retailer Amazon.co.uk.

The undesirable hobbit-like creature beat off stiff competition from two old--and equally short and crinkly--favourites in what could have easily been re-titled Ugliest Fantasy Character of All Time: Yoda, the 900-year-old Jedi master from George Lucas's Star Wars series who made his first on-screen appearance in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, and E.T., the homesick alien from Steven Spielberg's masterpiece E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, came in second and third respectively.

Gollum scooped the fantasy award in an Amazon.co.uk poll of over 5,000 film fanatics, run in conjunction with the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb.com). The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers has already received six Oscar and five MTV 2003 Movie Awards nominations; winning Best Fantasy Character of All Time is further acclaim for the creators of this cinematic masterpiece.

Giant green ogre Shrek from 2001's animated hit (which also won an Academy Award in 2002 for Best Animated Feature) and Monsters, Inc. stars Sulley and Mike made up the running, with sock-loving Dobby the House Elf of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets fame bringing up the rear. The voting* results in full:

Gollum from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers--35%
Yoda from the Star Wars series--23%
E.T. from E.T The Extra Terrestrial--11%
Shrek from Shrek--10%
Sully from Monsters, Inc.--5%
Mike from Monsters, Inc.--4%
Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets--2%

Greg Hart, Director for Media Products at Amazon.co.uk said:

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Two-disc Set is one of the most hotly anticipated DVD releases ever. At Amazon.co.uk we're already offering Gollum enthusiasts the chance to pre-order their copy at 36% off. This is in keeping with our commitment to offering our customers at least 25% off new and upcoming DVD releases.

Amazon.co.uk's DVD shop is the place to find, discover and buy films online. The store offers an easy and convenient way to shop, with fantastic prices, great choice and comprehensive product information. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Two-disc Set is available at £15.99 (36% off) and set for release on August 26, 2003.

 

 

 

*5,315 votes were registered on the Internet Movie Data Base. The Internet Movie Database is the Web's comprehensive and authoritative source of information on more than 275,000 movies and entertainment titles and 1 million cast and crew members dating from the birth of film through to present day. IMDb is the UK based website acquired by Amazon.co.uk's parent company Amazon.com, in 1998. IMDb is linked to Amazon.com.

For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 020 8636 9280.

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